Ken King has passed away

[14]

A great man. Loved this City. He has been sick for awhile but it was kept quiet. Was instrumental in the final negotiations for the new Event Centre even though he was ill.

In regards to the handshake, over the last 18-24 months as he was diagnosed, he switched to a fist bump. Received it quite a few times. Similar to his handshake, it was powerful and your knuckles would be rattled for a few minutes after.

RIP and condolences to his wife and all his Family.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

I'm saddened by this. More than I would be if it was a member of an organization I hadn't met before.

Why?

There are a few reasons.

(1) The stories I've heard have helped shaped my leadership style. I loved hearing the stories that Ken would walk the concourse, talk to fans, and stand in line at concessions then complain about how long then are, ask who to talk to about that!

(2) The team turned around under his tenure. Was it perfect? No. But I truly believe that a team cannot achieve let alone over achieve with poor management/leadership. He was the turning point, the key to the 2004 run, the 2015 Canucks series win.

(3) My birthday is in mid-May. In 2004 as my birthday approached I said to my folks "You know how I never know what I want for my birthday? This year I want airfare to Calgary if the Flames make the finals if I can get tickets. I'll worry about getting tickets, I just need to know that you can send me." They agreed, knowing that the Flames would never make it.

Spoilers alert

Spoiler!

They Did

I emailed Ken King and told him how big of a Flames fan I was, how I was from the East Coast, and couldn't risk booking flights and not getting tickets. I would be willing to pay for tickets but I needed to know I could buy them in order to book flights.

To my shock and amazement I got and email back asking where in the building I wanted tickets with prices listed.

I'll never forget the shock on my mom's face when I told her. She did everything she could but Aeroplan just didn't have space. I resigned myself to not going.

My uncle said "**** THAT"

He called WestJet and got me a reduced fare flight from Moncton. Only condition was that my cousin got the second ticket.

He told my mom the tickets were free.

She found out afterward they were a reduced fare (she paid the fare).

I'll never forget the energy of the Saddledome for game 6 of the 2004 finals.

I'll never forget walking the Red Mile.

I'll never forget the flights out and back.

I'll never forget.

I'm teary eyed thinking of this.

It's because Ken King approved it.

I'd love to be a sports executive. If it's in the cards, I'll try and follow the steps that Ken King demonstrated.

The respect I have for the man, and will always have for the man cannot be understated.

I was taken back hearing his passing. I honestly cannot believe it, and it affects me more than a random celebrity/person of interest.

If he touched the lives of people like me, and other posters here in such a way, I cannot imagine how he touched the lives of friends, family, and close co-workers.

Rest in piece Ken, you were a great man and we are all at a loss without you.

With much love, Jon.

[browna]

Terrible news. The words from Murray Edwards are not hollow; they lost a leader then they won’t probably ever replace in that role.

Mr. King should be remembered as a tried and true Calgarian who did everything to make this city a better place, through sports or otherwise.

Publisher of the paper, nevermind both, was, up to the early 2000s, about as prestigious a job you could have in the community, reserved for people who had both the pulse of the city and wanted to inspire the city with their thoughts and ideals...nevermind the energy and social awareness and respect in the community.

He carried through all those traits into his role with the Flames in 2001 to basically give the flailing Flames direction, and, as has been mentioned here, was successful in brining credibility back to the franchise. There’s a story I was told years back; when he started in 2001, one of his first fires he had to put out was stopping a long standing member of the organization from quitting, after being incensed with Greg Gilbert’s comments about Mike Vernon, and Button sending him to the minors. He had to fly out on a couple hours notice to where the Flames were on the east coast and deal with that ugly situation...but he did, swiftly, and that person stayed.

Through a couple second hand connections over my life here, had brushes with the man, before the Flames, and then since, and I had a role for a season where he would address a group of us regularly, as to the coming and going and operations of the Flames. At that time, a man in control and with the pulse on a lot of things, but always had time for a joke or anecdote, and his public persona was not a facade; while he may have been more direct and calulculating when conversing with people about a business or operational matter, never lost the smile or charm that was genuine, not a sales tactic.

An inspiring leader, a guy you wanted to know, and a guy who got things done with conviction.

I don’t think you could had someone that cared for wanting to see success for the Flames, or any sports team in Calgary, more, because he knew what sporting success did for bringing the community together...and then committed to doing whatever he could in his role to help make that happen for Calgarians.

He brought the Flames back to life, with one hiring, Darryl Sutter. And that wasn’t because Sutter just fell from the Sharks; we have heard all the stories about how stubborn and selective Sutter is, but then loyal....if the Flames had some slick talking grifter President in 2002 like Ron Bremner, there is zero chance a no nonsense guy like Darryl, would’ve come here. But Ken’s word and character was as strong as his handshake, so him and Sutter were peas in a pod.

He was very often a lightning rod for criticism, here and by other fans on issues, and for meddling in hockey operations, and Calgary Next, and jerseys. Fact truly is, he had a thankless task of trying to be the figurehead for a widely diverse set of stubborn owners (stubborn in their opinions) and having them pull in the same direction (look at 1990 when the owners, may who were around when he took over 10 or so years later, did to evisicerate the SCF team from a year earlier). So, though he was certainly more than a puppet, his bosses were still his bosses, and he would be tasked to carry out their wishes and be the public face of their decisions.

Letting Sutter go killed him, but one faction of owners wanted Darryl out out a year earlier, and finally convinced the other faction as well, but it was Ken who had to do the dirty work. He was forced by ownership to become more as part of hockey ops when Sutter’s bumbling yes man successor took the job and was soon proven to be the big bag of hot air that he is...and until Edwards convinced Burke to come aboard. His tear down of that windbag over the ROR fiasco is still talked about in the Flames offices.

On top of all this leadership, managing high profile and high maintenance ownership for off and sometimes on ice operations, he had to get the a Flames better business deals. Broadcast deals stunk, the Oilers were getting a much better deal for the first few years, thanks to Bremner, he renegotiated them. Arena naming rights. Setting up the Flames Foundation under his guidance and much more directed charitable work, being a hard ass with the Stampede board, on behalf of the owners and on his own accord as to what he thought this city needed. Calgary Next, he was strong in his convictions, you couldn’t take that away from him.

Met you once, knew your name year later and probably your wife’s. The handshake. Before social media became a thing, in the early years of our STH (2002 to 2006) he had mo problem divulging nuggets to STH holders at the meetings. You could tell he was excited each year about the team, not because he had to be, but because he wanted to be. When he talked in the aforementioned meetings I was privy to related to the Flames, he captivated everyone with his knowledge, acumen, and attention to detail about off ice or on ice things to do with the franchise...again, because he was committed to it and wanted to see success for the franchise and the city as a while, not because it was some job.

Finally, he was a fan, a legit fan. Tickets long before his presidency. Won’t forget his seats in the front row of the attack zone, where he sat mostly in the third period of games, especially big ones...the Stajan goal against the Canucks where he does the double arm raise along with each of the rest of us.

Calgary loses a great one today. It’s a shame he didn’t see another Stanley Cup, or, the completion of the arena that was part of the vision he had for his decades in this city of wanting to create a better place.

The Flames lose a person who brought the franchise into the new millennium on the right foot as a franchise and as an institution within this city, and without the world one by Ken King, it doesn’t look this way today.

Thanks Mr. King.

RIP

[shogged]

RIP, was one hell of a business leader in our community. He will be missed

[smiggy77]

Ken did a great job making the Flames a first class organization - bringing in quality front office staff and building a strong reputation.

Blessed to have met him and talk hockey. He definitely loved this team as much as the next guy on here.

May he Rest In Peace

[Split98]

Ken King, please read:
You will be dearly missed. You were an amazingly passionate guy with a huge heart

Thank you for everything Ken. 2020 sucks

[Bunk]

Sad to hear. I met him a couple times in the very early days of the arena discussions. I am glad that he was alive to see the deal finally get secured.

[Neeper]

RIP Mr. King, The People’s President

He was always super nice and always said hello to me when I bumped into him in the elevator. A big man with a crushing handshake. You’ll be missed.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Maritime Q-Scout

I'm saddened by this. More than I would be if it was a member of an organization I hadn't met before.

Why?

There are a few reasons.

(1) The stories I've heard have helped shaped my leadership style. I loved hearing the stories that Ken would walk the concourse, talk to fans, and stand in line at concessions then complain about how long then are, ask who to talk to about that!

(2) The team turned around under his tenure. Was it perfect? No. But I truly believe that a team cannot achieve let alone over achieve with poor management/leadership. He was the turning point, the key to the 2004 run, the 2015 Canucks series win.

(3) My birthday is in mid-May. In 2004 as my birthday approached I said to my folks "You know how I never know what I want for my birthday? This year I want airfare to Calgary if the Flames make the finals if I can get tickets. I'll worry about getting tickets, I just need to know that you can send me." They agreed, knowing that the Flames would never make it.

Spoilers alert

Spoiler!

They Did

I emailed Ken King and told him how big of a Flames fan I was, how I was from the East Coast, and couldn't risk booking flights and not getting tickets. I would be willing to pay for tickets but I needed to know I could buy them in order to book flights.

To my shock and amazement I got and email back asking where in the building I wanted tickets with prices listed.

I'll never forget the shock on my mom's face when I told her. She did everything she could but Aeroplan just didn't have space. I resigned myself to not going.

My uncle said "**** THAT"

He called WestJet and got me a reduced fare flight from Moncton. Only condition was that my cousin got the second ticket.

He told my mom the tickets were free.

She found out afterward they were a reduced fare (she paid the fare).

I'll never forget the energy of the Saddledome for game 6 of the 2004 finals.

I'll never forget walking the Red Mile.

I'll never forget the flights out and back.

I'll never forget.

I'm teary eyed thinking of this.

It's because Ken King approved it.

I'd love to be a sports executive. If it's in the cards, I'll try and follow the steps that Ken King demonstrated.

The respect I have for the man, and will always have for the man cannot be understated.

I was taken back hearing his passing. I honestly cannot believe it, and it affects me more than a random celebrity/person of interest.

If he touched the lives of people like me, and other posters here in such a way, I cannot imagine how he touched the lives of friends, family, and close co-workers.

Rest in piece Ken, you were a great man and we are all at a loss without you.

With much love, Jon.

Wow! What a great story.

[TheScorpion]

That's very sad. Dude was incredibly passionate especially about the new arena. It'll be hard to replace him.

[icarus]

Wow such shocking news. He will be missed dearly; it's hard to add much to the thoughtful words of so many other posters here. A great man in so many ways and I'm glad I got to meet him. Condolences to his family and the Flames organisation. A sad sad day.

[HalifaxDrunk]

Wow, there are some awesome stories here about a great man. I don't have anything spectacular but before game 4 vs Vancouver in 2015 I met KK outside the Dome. I was partying in the beer garden and saw him standing at the top of the stairs having a cigar. I made my way up and he chatted with me for about 5 mins. Not much to many, but to me it was huge.

RIP Ken.

[calgarybornnraised]

A piece of the Calgary Flames died today,
A Huge piece of Calgary died today.

So very sorry to his Family. God Speed Mr. King, “please read”.

[Sylvanfan]

I will never forget the night he came on this site to answer fan questions. He did stop the really negative momentum that the team had from well before he was in the fold. R.I.P. to a guy who was a very passionate Calgarian.

[Puppet Guy]

Much respect for Ken King. He did a lot to restore pride in a team that had fallen hard.

[Hemi-Cuda]

It's only March and I'm already done with 2020. Can we just skip to 2021?

[PaperBagger'14]

Originally Posted by GreatWhiteEbola

RIP Mr. King, I am still feeling that handshake...

#### Cancer

I also had the pleasure of meeting KK once at a flames Oilers game. Shook his hand and wow did he have some mitts on him.

At that same game I had 2 oilers fans next to me, I had asked Ken if I could toss them into the lower level, he said OK as long as the refs didn't see it.

The oilers fans asked me who that was after a few laughs and I explained that he was the flames president.

RIP

[Badgers Nose]

Such a nice guy, RIP

[IamNotKenKing]

I really want to thank each of you for these stories.
While I am crying, I am smiling.
Ken would have appreciated these too, but then said he was just doing his job.

To quote Ken, “God bless you for being Flames’ fans”.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

I really want to thank each of you for these stories.
While I am crying, I am smiling.
Ken would have appreciated these too, but then said he was just doing his job.

To quote Ken, “God bless you for being Flames’ fans”.

All the best to you and your family, this stuff sucks but I hope you know how much your uncle did for all of us.

In the new arena I hope we see a huge wall of tributes to Calgary hockey figures who are no longer with us. Brad McCrimmon, Steve Montador, Mickey Renaud, George Pelawa, Wade Belak, Doc Seaman, Harley Hotchkiss (sure I've missed some)... and right in the middle, Ken King.